The 2019 Charles S Roberts "Awards"

[TTC]

I have U-Boot.  I've only played it once (with 4 of us, ideal).  I definitely enjoyed it as it's a challenge to understand, but pays off when you do.

It's more about worked placement and resource management, with limited actions.

Fun game.  But not a wargame in any but the most attenuated sense of the term.

[Martok]

I'm not sure what simultaneously amuses, mortifies, and outrages me more: that Stellaris is apparently now classified as a "wargame", or that it won its respective category.     

[bayonetbrant]

From the podcast thread....

I think, as the panelists alluded to, that the categories were over-broad. In fact, I know people were telling them when the awards were announced, "these categories are too broad, split them up!" and they just kinda dug in and said "this is how it's always been done, we're not going to change it" which I think is about as dumb as it sounds. Again, to be very clear, I'm not saying this because I think it would increase the chances of us getting noms or getting wins, because there's no way in heck we're ever gonna win something. We toil in obscurity on purpose and by choice, and part of that obscurity is not getting mainstream awards or acclaim. If I'm making weird experimental little films, they're not getting Oscar nods. But for folks and companies who do care about these sorts of things, these categories are ridiculous and a disservice.

Ian over at RMN actually shows that "this is how it's always been done, we're not going to change it" isn't exactly true

https://rockymountainnavy.com/2020/11/18/wargame-wednesday-the-charlies-are-no-angels-response-to-the-armchair-dragoons-dissection-of-the-2019-charles-s-roberts-wargame-awards/

The categories changed significantly over time. Here are some of the highlights:

1978 – Added Best Pre-20th Century Board Game, and Best 20th Century Board Game
1988 – Best 20th Century Board Game divided into Best 1900-1946 Board Game and Best 1947-Modern Day Board Game
1990 – Split categories dropped; change to Best Pre-20th Century Board Game and Best Modern-Day Board Game
1998 – Time categories dropped; return to Best Historical Game
2003 – Best Historical Game dropped
2005 – Best Historical Board Game returns
2006 – Best Historical Board Game dropped
2007 – Best Historical Board Game returns (again)
2012 – Last year of the Charles S. Roberts Awards; fully replaced by the Origins Awards

and not exactly fully replaced by the Origins Awards....